Wipeng thought,
What am I looking at?
Something unbelievable was happening before his eyes. The Third Young Master—of all people, that very Third Young Master—was holding his own against Lee Seogeun.
Am I hallucinating?
And who was Lee Seogeun?
He was a blood relative of the Sect Leader of the Mount Heng Sword Sect, heir to his martial arts, and a first-rate swordsman.
When the Third Young Master first accepted Lee Seogeun’s challenge to a duel, Wipeng had sighed inwardly. What kind of nerve did someone who had barely risen above third-rate think he had?
And then what? Come out? Let’s have a go?
Crazy bastard. What a load of shit.
Something did seem to have changed about him lately. He had suddenly started speaking politely to everyone. He practiced martial arts until late at night.
Oh, and there was that bullshit about losing his memory.
At the time, Wipeng had wondered if the man had gone insane. But when he heard today that the Third Young Master had laid a hand on the Mount Heng Sword Sect’s cherished jewel, everything became clear. The shock had nearly sent him straight to the heavens.
Of course. No one changes overnight.
Wipeng had served the Jin Family of Taiyuan for more than ten years. In his eyes, Jin Taekyung was far beyond a bad seed with yellow sprouts—his were practically gold.1
But what could he do? Taekyung was his lord’s beloved youngest brother and a direct-line member of the Jin Family. Wipeng had been planning to rescue him before Lee Seogeun turned him into a half-cripple.
And yet…
Whack! Whack! Whack!
Now Taekyung was beating Lee Seogeun without mercy.
Wipeng knew the martial arts he was using: the Jin Family’s Manoeuvre Technique and Spear Technique.
He was fairly skilled at linking the two techniques together, and there was even a seasoned air to his movements—the hard-won experience of a wandering martial artist who had spent around ten years roughing it in back alleys.
What in the world…?
No one could master martial arts in a day or two.
That was the natural order Wipeng believed in, and he knew exactly one person who defied it.
The Second Young Master.
Jin Mukyung, the Second Young Master of the Jin Family of Taiyuan. A genius who had reached the Peak realm before the age of twenty—a true prodigy who defied the natural order.
Could the Third Young Master possibly…?
Wipeng’s thoughts went no further. A commotion had broken out around them.
“This duel is invalid!”
“Stop the duel immediately!”
“The Jin Family of Taiyuan used underhanded tricks!”
“That’s right! Otherwise, how could our Young Master possibly lose to trash like that—”
The Mount Heng Sword Sect warriors who had been snickering moments ago now had their hands on their sword hilts.
Look at these lunatics.
It was true that the Mount Heng Sword Sect had been riding high lately, but for even its underlings to cause such a scene—
Just as Wipeng could bear it no longer and was about to step forward—
Whoosh—smack!
The wind blew, and more than ten teeth flew through the air.
A Mount Heng Sword Sect warrior, blood pouring from the corner of his mouth, stared blankly up at the enormous shadow looming over him.
“What trash?”
“Buh… buh-buh…”
Jin Wikyung calmly looked down at the warrior, who could no longer form the words. Then he slapped the man across the mouth with a palm as large as a cauldron lid.
Smack! Clatter.
The warrior spat out every tooth he had left, then lost consciousness and collapsed.
Leaving the frozen Mount Heng Sword Sect warriors behind, Jin Wikyung returned to his seat and resumed watching the duel.
Wipeng sighed.
“There could be a problem…”
“Wipeng.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t say anything.”
Jin Wikyung gazed at his youngest brother with shining eyes and added,
“This is the best moment of my life.”
This was my first time using martial arts in actual combat. Since learning them, I hadn’t had any reason to fight anyone—and I hadn’t wanted to, either.
But…
I had always thought about it. If I ever encountered an enemy, if the moment came when I had to use my martial arts in a real fight, how would I respond?
In that respect, my time in the training hall had meant a great deal.
Whack!
“Guh!”
Lee Seogeun doubled over like a shrimp as the shaft of my spear struck him squarely in the abdomen.
He had dropped his greatsword long ago. I kept advancing and swinging the shaft, and each blow tore another scream from him.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
“Gaaaah!”
At first, I had been bewildered. My kick actually worked? On Lee Seogeun? He’s Level 30, and I’m only Level 14.
But after we exchanged more than fifty blows, I realized the truth.
I’m stronger.
Lee Seogeun was undoubtedly strong. By real-world standards, he was at least on par with a C-rank Hunter.
But I was stronger. The difference was slight, but undeniable.
Strength, Stamina, Agility.
And experience.
“Graaah!”
Lee Seogeun charged at me with a roar. He was fast. And destructive. Every step he took left the training-ground floor dented and cracked.
But he has no finesse.
Lee Seogeun was young, which meant he lacked experience. Against someone weaker, he could make up for that with sheer strength.
But I was different.
I was stronger, and I had more experience.
I’m going to win. Without a doubt.
It wasn’t a resolution. It was certainty.
That was why I discarded my spear without hesitation. Now we were both unarmed.
The moment Lee Seogeun saw me throw away my weapon, fire blazed in his eyes.
“You looked down on me? You dare—how dare you!”
Anger stiffened the body and simplified its movements. I tripped Lee Seogeun’s leg as he charged like a bull and sent him tumbling.
Then I climbed onto his chest as he tried to get up.
“What is this…?”
Looking down at his bewildered eyes, I asked,
“Ever heard of full mount?”
Without waiting for an answer, I drove my fist down.
Lee Seogeun desperately shook his head from side to side, but it did him no good.
Bam-bam-bam-bam!
Chin, cheek, forehead, nose… I rained punches down across his entire face. Lee Seogeun twisted and screamed without end until, at last, he went limp.
That should be enough.
My whole reason for accepting the duel had been to avoid a war with the Mount Heng Sword Sect.
It would be a problem if Lee Seogeun suffered a severe injury. I had to stop before I went too far.
Concerned, I shook Lee Seogeun by the shoulder.
“Hey, are you oka—”
Smack!
The world flashed before my eyes.
A little dizziness. Drops of bright-red blood dripped from my stinging chin.
Lee Seogeun’s fist had grazed me.
Ah. I let my guard down.
If I hadn’t instinctively jerked my head back, I would have been in serious trouble. That blow had been imbued with internal energy.
“You dodged that?”
Lee Seogeun quickly broke free of the mount and scrambled away, his face filled with extreme bewilderment.
Of course. He probably hadn’t imagined that a guy like me—no, a guy like Jin Taekyung—would humiliate him like this.
Especially after his decisive strike had been rendered useless.
“This can’t be… This can’t be happening.”
I answered Lee Seogeun, who muttered as if he were bewitched.
“Life’s full of surprises.”
“Why? How? How could this possibly happen? I’m Lee Seogeun! Lee Seogeun of the Mount Heng Sword Sect!”
His eyes bloodshot, Lee Seogeun shouted,
“I honed my skills for ten years! So why? Why am I losing to trash like you? To someone as debauched and lazy as you!”
He might have been nothing more than a game character, but in that moment, I understood how he felt.
The feeling that all his hard work had betrayed him. The futility. The emptiness.
I felt that way, too.
I had felt it for seven years. The sense of deprivation dulled with time, but it never disappeared.
In the end, I had accepted it.
Reality was cruel.
I spoke to Lee Seogeun.
“Give up now. You’re weaker than me.”
Lee Seogeun’s eyes rolled with rage.
“Shut your mouth!”
The air around us crackled.
Gathering every last bit of strength he had, Lee Seogeun shot forward like an arrow.
“I told you clearly. You made your choice.”
“Stop spouting bullshit!”
Whoosh.
His fist split the air and grazed my face by a hair. That alone sliced open my skin and drew blood.
It was faster and stronger than any attack I had seen from him so far.
But the same goes for me.
I channeled internal energy into my right foot and brought it down on top of Lee Seogeun’s foot.
Crack!
With the sound of breaking bone, his foot slammed into the training-ground floor and sank into it.
“Graaah!”
I drove my knuckles into his screaming face. His nose broke, and teeth scattered through the air. With his leg buried up to the calf, he couldn’t even pull himself free.
One more.
More.
More.
Whack. Whack. Whack.
Chest. Side. Stomach.
And finally—
The solar plexus.
Thump!
A clean hit.
And it wasn’t just an ordinary punch. I had concentrated a tremendous amount of internal energy into that single blow.
Lee Seogeun’s eyes flew wide.
“Guh!”
His pupils lost focus. The strength left his body, his back bent, and he began to collapse.
I saw it all as if in slow motion.
Even my right foot shooting toward his abdomen.
Pop!
With a sound like a balloon bursting, Lee Seogeun went flying.
Everyone watched.
Jin Wikyung. Wipeng. The people of the Jin Family of Taiyuan. The warriors of the Mount Heng Sword Sect.
And me.
Thud.
Lee Seogeun flew more than ten meters2 before landing. Whether he had passed out or not, he did not move.
I released the breath I had been holding and stood tall beneath the dozens of gazes that shifted from Lee Seogeun to me.
“Whoo… Whoo…”
Ding.
System
The Duel Quest has been successfully completed!
Quest rewards will be distributed!
You have acquired the Title Gambler!
You have gained EXP and Fame!
An additional reward has been granted for your overwhelming performance!
Jin Family’s Cultivation Technique has risen to the Fourth Stage!
Qi Sense has risen to the Third Stage. You can now identify targets up to Level 50.
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
The System notifications rang out like celebratory fireworks.
The Mount Heng Sword Sect left.
Since they had all arrived on horseback, the Jin Family of Taiyuan even had to lend them a carriage to transport the injured.
But Lee Seogeun was one thing. Who was the other guy?
Every tooth in his mouth was gone, and the cloth stuffed between his lips was soaked with blood.
Good Lord. What kind of bastard had…?
Jin Wikyung patted me on the shoulder with a solemn expression.
“Well done. You surpassed my expectations.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you—”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Because there’s blood splattered on your cheek.
I had no idea why, but in that brief span of time, he had somehow turned someone into a cripple.
“So, what do you think?”
“Pardon? About what?”
“About ending your confinement. It is true that your usual conduct has been disgraceful, but after the remarkable performance you showed today, this is a great blessing for our family.”
Jin Wikyung looked around as he continued.
“What do the rest of you think?”
The senior members looked displeased, but none seemed particularly inclined to object. Compared to the looks they had given me in the meeting hall earlier, I almost felt that they were favorable.
Is it because they’re Murim people?
In the novels, Murim was a place where justice mattered, but strength came first. Maybe defeating Lee Seogeun had influenced them.
“You should answer him. Hahaha.”
…Or maybe it was because of Jin Wikyung.
His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were not. With the blood on his cheek, he looked like something out of a horror movie.
“I wholeheartedly agree.”
Once Wipeng’s manipulation of public opinion was added to the mix, one by one, the others voiced their agreement.
Jin Wikyung watched the blatantly rigged vote unfold under threat of force and smiled in satisfaction.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!
Lee Seogeun bit down hard on his lip. Jin Taekyung’s face refused to leave his mind.
I lost? To trash like him?
The matter with the Jin Family of Taiyuan had provided more than enough justification.
If the Mount Heng Sword Sect gained something from it, that was good. If the Jin Family refused their demands and the conflict escalated into a full-scale war, that would have been a success as well.
If he had turned Jin Taekyung into a half-cripple, word would have spread throughout Shanxi Province that the Jin Family of Taiyuan had been humiliated by the Mount Heng Sword Sect.
But he had failed.
How could this have happened?
He had taken up the sword as a child. He wasn’t a genius, but neither was he ordinary.
The second son of the Mount Heng Sword Sect. A promising young prodigy. A first-rate swordsman.
He had always been an object of admiration…
Damn it!
Everything he had was shattered today. For the first time, Jin Taekyung’s merciless violence had brought him to his knees and beaten him unconscious.
When he opened his eyes, he was already inside a carriage.
Even the carriage belonged to the Jin Family of Taiyuan.
Fire blazed in Lee Seogeun’s eyes.
I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you with my own hands, Jin Taekyung!
Unable to contain his mounting fury, he slammed his fist against the carriage wall.
The carriage stopped.
Lee Seogeun shouted harshly,
“What are you doing? Don’t dawdle. Get moving again!”
At that moment, his brow prickled.
“We should get moving, yes. But going to the Mount Heng Sword Sect would be a little troublesome.”
Sound Transmission?
Who are you?
Lee Seogeun shouted, but no sound escaped his throat.
His chest felt tight, and his throat hurt as if it were on fire. The carriage began moving again.
“Let’s do this. Mount Beimang first. We can go to the Mount Heng Sword Sect afterward.”3
What does that mean—
It took no longer than a few blinks.
His limbs went numb, and pain flared violently through his body. Lee Seogeun turned his trembling head.
Someone in a mask was staring at him.
“Grrk… grrrk…”
Who are you?
Instead of a voice, dark, discolored blood poured from his mouth.
His vision blurred. The sounds around him faded into the distance.
Sa… save me…
That was his final thought.
The next moment, he plunged headfirst into darkness.
“Farewell, Young Hero.”
The masked man smiled as he pulled the large blue-black needle from the dead man’s brow.
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